Maxie Davis

CLEVELAND, Tenn. Maxie Kate Whaley Davis, died at the age of 87, on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, at a local hospital.She was the most senior member of New Hope Primitive Baptist Church in Cleveland.She was a lifelong resident of Bradley County from the age of four when she moved to a farm in the Ladds Springs community from Greenbriar, Tenn., where her familys property became part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.She truly loved to fish and spent countless hours on the Hiwassee River, below Watts Bar dam and camping and trout fishing in the Cherokee National Forest.She delighted in and encouraged both the academic and athletic achievements of all of her grandchildren, including good grades, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, barrel racing, swimming and bass fishing.She was preceded in death by her husband, J.T. Davis; father and mother, Thomas and Minnie Whaley; brothers, Conrad and Cleo Whaley; and sisters, Viola Randolph, Maggie Cantrell, Lou Wilson and Edith Henry.She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Debbie Davis, of Charleston, son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Connie Davis, of Decatur and daughter, Linda Gehron, of Chattanooga; grandchildren, Nathan Davis, Jason Davis, Phillip Gehron, Michelle Davis, Seth Davis, Becca Davis and Allison Gehron; five great-grandchildren, Abbey, Cayce, Lily, Jaxon and Landon; and brothers, Cayce Whaley, of Cleveland and Tom Whaley, of Fort Wayne, Ind.A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 at Grissom Funeral Home with Elder John W. Robbins officiating.The family requests that memorials be made to the Moore's Chapel Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 2937, Cleveland, TN 37320.We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Davis family guest book at www.grissomfh.net.The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home prior to the service.